Car-coupling.



No. 843,858.` PATENTBD FEB.`12, 1907. S. W. WIBL, W. R. CUNNINGHAM & W. G. WHEELER.

GARCOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1906.

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s. W. WIBEL, W. N. CUNNINGHAM &

GARYGOUPLING. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 19.06.

PATBNTBD ma. 12, 19o?. W. G. WHEELER.

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SOLOMON W. W IBEL, WILLIAM R. CUNNINGHAM, AND WILLIAM G. WHEELER, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

CAR-CGUPLINGI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Application iiled September 6, 1906. Serial Nol 333,545.

To @ZZ 1071/0777] t may concern:

Be it known that we, SOLOMON W. WIBEL, WILLIAM R. CUNNINGHAM, and WILLIAM G. IVHEELER, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-couplings of the swinging-hook or knuckle type, and has for its principal object the provision of means to prevent parting of the couplings on two cars while going around curves or when subjected to unequal vertical displacement.

Further objects of our invention are disclosed in the following description and in the accompanjing drawings, in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which- Figure 1 represents a horizontal section through two couplers in the locked position; Fig. 2, a vertical section along a line 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a perspective view of the lock or key employed in our coupler, Fig. 4, a horizontal section through the draw-head, the

knuckle being in the open or unlocked posi-- tion; Fig. .5, a section taken along a line 5 5, Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 a perspective view of the knuckle. j

Referring to the drawings, 6 designates the draw-head, having the pivot-pin lugs 7, between which is pivotally secured, by means of the pivot-pin 8, the swinging hook or knuckle 9, provided with the tailpiece 10. The draw-head 6 is provided with the usual recess 11, in which the tailpiece 10 of the knuckle moves during the process of coupling and uncoupling and with an additional recess 12 to accommodate the locking-key 13, which, by engaging the extremity of the tailpiece, maintains the knuckle in the locked position. Key 13 consists of a block or body 14, preferably shaped in the form of a truncated wedge, the base 15 of which extends, when the key is in the locking position, perpendicularly and faces the mouth of the draw-head, while its parallel trapezoid sides 15 engage the perpendicular parallel sides of the auxiliary recess 12, and thus hold the key against lateral displacement. The lower portion of the block when in this position rests in a correspondingly-shaped notch or recess 16 in the lower surface of recess 11, the shoulder 16d ofA which prevents outward movement of the key by engaging the'lower portion of the base 15 of the truncated wedge, or, with other words, the face of the key.

Block 14 is provided with a projection or nose 18, which, extending at right angles to its face, projects when the draw-heads are in the coupled position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, into a vertically-disposed groove or recess 19 in the face of the knuckle on the opposite coupler. The width of grooves 19 but slightly exceeds the corresponding dimension of the noses 1S, so that when during the rounding of curves the cars and the thereto-attached draw-heads are moved out of alinement the key in each coupler will hold the knuckle in the opposite one against relative lateral displacement, and thus prevent parting of the couplers. Grooves 19 in the knuckles, though permitting a limited vertical movement of the couplers, prevent their parting by reason of unequal vertical displacement of the cars to which they are secured, on account of the engagement of the shoulders 19'0L at the upper and lower ends of the grooves with the opposite sides of the projections 18 on the'kejl's. Block 14 of the key is furthermore provided with a rear and upwardly-extending curved arm 20, the upper extremity of which projects through a slot 21 beyond the upper surface of the draw-head and connects with a chain or other flexible connection 22, by means of which it may be raised for the purpose of unlocking the couplers from the top or sides of the car.

When the key is lifted, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 2, it moves up and rearwardly, the lower surface of block 14 engaging and riding along an inclined surface 23, which constitutes the rear surface of the auxiliary recess 12. The result is 'that when the pull or chain 22 is released the key will by its natural gravity slide back into its original position in engagement with shoulder 16a ofthe notch 1.6 in the lower surface of recess 11.

The Jface 24 of the tail 10 on the knuckle which when the coupler is locked engages the opposite side 15,g of block 14 of the key is flat, while its upper surface is beveled toward its rear edge, which is rounded as it approaches the point of the tailpiece.

IOO

`W hen the knuckle is in the unlocked position and the chain 22 released, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the end of nose 1S of the key engages the upper surface of the tailpiece and the cou pleil is in condi( ion to automatic all y couple with the draw-head on the car with which it collides.

The knuckle on the one coupler engaging the 'face of the tailpiece of the knuckle of the opposite one causes the latter to move abou` its pivot-pin, with the result that the rounded edge of the tailpieco, engaging the face 15 of the keyblock, impcls the key up the in.- clined plane 23 until it is released, when it returns to its original position in the recess 16 and by engagement with the face of the tail prevents movement of the knuckle.

In connection it will be observed that inasmuch as parting of the ini erlocked knuckles While rounding curves is anticipated by their connection with the opposiie keys the couplers may be used with equal results on stationary and radial draw-bars and that in case the knuckle in one of the draw-heads becomes unlocked. by breaking of the key or other cause the nose on the opposite key projecting in its groove will sjill retain it in the interlocked position with the opposite knuckle.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is- 1. A car-coupler comprising in combination, a draw-head, a recessed lniuckle pivoted v therein, a key adapted to maintain the later in locked position, the said key having a projection arranged to enter the recess in the knuckle of a similar coupler when the two knuckles are inerlocked.

2. A car-coupler coinprisinfT in combination a draw-head, a knuckle pivoied therein and having a vertical groove in its outer face, a key adapted to maintain the knuckle in locked position, the said key having a projection arranged to enter the groove in the knuckle of a similar coupler, when the two knuckles are interlocked.

3. A car-coupler comprising in combinal tion a draw head, a vertically grooved elongaed projection on the said draw-head, adapted to enter the groove in the knuckle on a similar coupler when the two knuckles are interlocked.

4. A car-coupler comprising in combinalion a draw-head, a recessed knuckle pivo'ied therein, and a longitudinally-movable locking-key having a projection arranged to enter the recess in the knuckle on a similar coupler when the two knuckles are interlocked.

5. A car-coupler comprising in combination a draw-head having a recess terminating in an inclined plane and having a shoulder, a recessed knuckle pivoted therein, a lockingkey held against lateral displacement within the recess and arranged io engage the shoulder and to be propelled upon the said plane, the said key having a projection adapted to enter the recess in the knuckle on a similar coupler when the two knuckles are interlocked.

6. A car-coupling comprising in combination two drawheads, knuckles pivoted therein, and having recesses in their outer faces, and a locking-key on each draw-head having an integral projeciion arranged to enter the recess in the knuckle on the opposite drawhead, whenthe knuckles are in the locked posiiion.

7. A car-coupler comprising in combination, a draw-head, a knuckle pivoled therein, and means on the said draw-head to hold the knuckle of a similar coupler against lateral and arcuate movement while allowing a limited vertical movement of its draw-head.

In teslimony whereoic we have aHiXed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

litnesses:

G. J. ROLLANDT K. M. STUMP.

knuckle pivoted therein and a horizontally-- 

